


It Couldn't Be Helped

by Rennaren



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: 4 Times fic, Canon Compliant, Gen, Ginoza is secretly the dog whisperer, Ginoza loves dogs, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 15:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rennaren/pseuds/Rennaren
Summary: It doesn't take long for anyone to find out that Ginoza likes dogs. In fact his feelings toward creatures of the canine variety are likely stronger (and more affectionate) than those he holds for any of his colleagues or subordinates. ...Much to their occasional inconvenience.Or...Four times that Ginoza's love of dogs caused trouble for somebody else, and one time that it (kind of) saved the day.





	It Couldn't Be Helped

**Author's Note:**

> After reading Fox_In_A_Box's story [And suddenly, dogs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14137269) , I'd started thinking about what might happen if Ginoza let himself get carried away enough by his love for dogs to do things like, bring strays back to the office...  
> A number of different scenarios occurred to me, and from there this story formed and ended up turning into a 4+1 type of fic. 
> 
> I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

**~~~ 1 ~~~**

“…Gino?...” asked Inspector Shinya Kogami while looking down at the wet black nose and slobbering pink tongue that had begun attacking him as soon as he had opened the passenger door of the MWPSB squad car, before its owner was ordered to sit by the raven haired man that sat in the driver’s seat. The nose and tongue in question were attached to a very large, extremely friendly golden retriever that was currently taking up both the floorboard and passenger seat of the car. “Where exactly am I supposed to sit?”

Ginoza huffed, his expression conveying a frustration that would only be evident to someone that had known him for as long as Kogami had. “…Well perhaps in the back seat…” began Ginoza after having glanced around the front of the car for a moment before his gaze moved to the seating behind him as he trailed off. 

Kogami followed Ginoza’s eyes toward the seat that stretched across the back of the car’s interior before giving the other man a flat, unamused look. 

The majority of the back seat was currently occupied by a profusely drooling St. Bernard, a yipping Chihuahua, and a pair of smaller dogs that Kogami with his limited knowledge of dog breeds, mostly due to Ginoza’s influence, thought might have been Yorkshire Terriers settled on the floorboards.

Ginoza sighed looking out over the steering wheel, and deliberately not at Kogami, as he spoke. “…Then,… I suppose the only other option is for you to ride back in the paddy wagon.”

Kogami fought the urge to gape at Ginoza, of all people he would have thought that Ginoza would be the last person to suggest such a thing, given his insistence that clear boundaries should be maintained between PSB inspectors and their enforcers. 

“…Can’t the dogs ride in the paddy wagon? There’s probably a lot more room for them in there.” said Kogami trying not to sound incredulous, or as exasperated as he felt, at the situation and Ginoza’s response to it.

“Of course not, they’ve been through enough already. I need to make sure that they are all right.” Ginoza frowned as if unable to comprehend how Kogami could even suggest such a thing. “They should be where they’ll be cool and comfortable during the drive. …Besides I have to drop them off at the shelter that’s been arranged for them anyway.”

“But… they’re just dogs…” protested Kogami trying to figure out what kind of argument he could even use to convince someone who seemed as set in his decision as Ginoza appeared to be.

“It’s not that far back to headquarters, you’ll be fine. …After all you seem to get along well enough with the enforcers on a regular basis already.” retorted Ginoza his eyes narrowing fractionally. He drew the golden retriever’s head back inside the car with a soft word and gentle pull on its collar. “Close the door Kogami.” added Ginoza before turning his attention fully to the retriever continuing to speak quietly to it as he ignored Kogami’s presence.

After closing the car door Kogami eyed it for a moment before starting to turn and make his way back to where the paddy wagon stood waiting. When Division One had been called out to deal with a person suspected of breeding and selling dogs without authorization Kogami had expected that there might be a few dogs that they would have to deal with afterwards, but what he hadn’t planned on was that he would be actually displaced by them. If he had known, Kogami might have at least insisted on driving to the scene in separate vehicles. 

The sound of the engine of Ginoza’s car starting drew Kogami from his thoughts, and he noticed the passenger window being rolled down as it did a slow U-turn, before starting to pass by him. Kogami paused in his tracks watching and waiting as he wondered if Ginoza had changed his mind. The instant that the car window was open enough a furry head and trailing tongue popped out, then the vehicle picked up speed, passing by Kogami. 

Kogami shot the departing vehicle a dark look before keying in the command to open the paddy wagon’s door, and stepping onto the ramp that led inside it. 

“Ko?...” asked Masaoka looking up in surprise from where he sat on one side of the paddy wagon, next to the unconscious suspect who was slumped against the far wall, as Kogami entered the paddy wagon fully and sat down across from him. 

“Did you and Ginoza-sensei have a fight or something, since he’s making you ride back here with us?” asked Sasayama chuckling as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigarette, turning on the paddy wagon’s bench seat to look over at Kogami when the inspector sat down at the other end of it. 

“The dogs,... It couldn’t be helped…” muttered Kogami glancing away to watch as the paddy wagon’s doors sealed him in before he felt the slight sensation of the wheeled cage beginning to move under him. 

Sasayama burst out with a loud laugh at Kogami’s words, tossing his head back at first before leaning against the wall with one shoulder to keep upright as he continued laughing. “Oh man,… Are you serious?! I can’t believe he kicked you out of the car so the dogs could ride instead! That’s hilarious! I guess we all know who he likes best now!”

Kogami shot Sasayama a glare, succeeding only in sending the other man into a fresh round of laughter. “Shut up already…” said Kogami wrinkling his nose in annoyance at both Sasayama’s reaction and the strength of the acrid odor of Spinels both stale and fresh, while trapped in such a confined space as the back of the paddy wagon. 

_…At least I guess it can’t have been helped…_ thought Kogami sighing, even though he wasn’t certain that was the case.

**~~~ 2 ~~~**

_It had been a tiring day._ thought Enforcer Kogami closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wall of the paddy wagon. He and the other enforcers, led by Ginoza, had been called out in response to an area stress level alert. The apprehension of the source had involved a chase through several buildings and multiple square blocks on foot before he had finally been captured and sent away to be given mandatory therapy. Afterward they had spent several hours trying to calm and reassure the civilians that the man had encountered and sent scattering over the area, which had ended in one or two of them being sent for therapy as well, before things had finally turned to dealing with the reason for their current predicament.

In the course of the investigation a stray dog had been located, likely separated from its owner when they had fled in fear during the chaos. At least that had been Ginoza’s determination of what had happened, based on the fact that the dog seemed well cared for, and was wearing a collar.  
Once he had decided that, Ginoza had become firmly set on seeing that the dog was returned to its owner, personally.

However Ginoza was currently the only Inspector in charge of Division One, and thus the only one available to ensure that Kogami and the other enforcers returned safely and with certainty, back to the MWPSB. This was why he, Masaoka, Yayoi, and Kagari were currently locked in the back of the paddy wagon, parked at the curb in front of the scene, where Ginoza had ordered them to wait while he attempted to locate the dog’s owner.

Lifting his head from where it rested against the wall behind him Kogami looked across the space in the paddy wagon to where Masaoka sat almost directly across from him. The older man’s eyes were closed at the moment, making it look as if the enforcer was taking the opportunity to doze while they waited.  
Next to Masaoka, Yayoi sat on one side of the paddy wagon near the back wall, her head bobbing slightly in echo of the rhythm of the music that played through her earphones. Kagari sat on the opposite bench across from her. 

Kagari let out a loud sigh abruptly letting himself fall sideways. Almost putting his head in Kogami’s lap before he could scoot out of the way, as Kagari stretched out on the bench seat. “Ugh,… How much longer is Gino-san going to keep us locked up back here?” He asked, letting his eyes move to the other occupants of the paddy wagon. “Does this kind of thing happen a lot?” 

Kogami shook his head, looking over at Kagari out of the corner of his eye. “Not often.” 

“Well then maybe I should call Gino-san again and check on what’s happening. Maybe he ran into trouble and needs our help.” said Kagari rolling onto his back as he reached for his wrist link. 

“Did he say anything about wanting help the last three times you called?” retorted Kogami, already knowing the answer to his own question.

Kagari huffed arching his back as he tipped his head back to look at Kogami. “…No?... But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t now. …I’m going to call again.” 

“You shouldn’t do that.” muttered Kogami, even though Kagari’s fingers had already begun moving to initiate the call.

“But-…” protested Kagari before being interrupted by Masaoka who opened his eyes, looking as if he may not have been asleep after all. 

“It’s not a good idea.” stated Masaoka, just as Kagari’s call went through in spite of his caution against it.

“What is it?” snapped Ginoza as soon as the comm channel was opened.

“How much longer is this going to take Gino-san?...” asked Kagari shifting restlessly on the bench seat before stretching his arms over his head, causing Kogami to scoot away once more until he was pressed against the wall next to the door.

“It is Inspector Ginoza to you, Enforcer Kagari. …And it seems that the dog’s owner is actually at work right now, and that it was being cared for a by dog walker and broke free from them during the incident.” explained Ginoza, the sound of the pedestrians around him carrying over the comm line as he walked. “I was able to find out their owner’s usual schedule and it shouldn’t take much longer to locate them to return their dog.” 

Kagari twisted to prop himself up on one elbow, the holographic screen of his wrist link illuminating his face as he drew his wrist closer to his chest, as a glimmer of interest came into his eyes. “Why not let us do the looking then? If we split up it shouldn’t take that long.” 

“No, that is out of the question.” said Ginoza sharply at Kagari’s suggestion. “I can’t have the lot of you wandering around unsupervised all over the city and risk one of you running away. Or causing trouble.” 

“…-But Gino-san… I’m bored…” Kagari’s heels thudded against the back wall of the paddy wagon above where the young enforcer lay sprawled out on his back on the bench seat. “…I’ve been back here for days… I’m going to die of boredom like this.” 

Ginoza’s exasperated sigh sounded loud as it carried over the open channel. “It has been less than thirty minutes… and you are an adult not a child, try to remember that. You should be capable of surviving.” 

“…But-…” began Kagari his voice taking on a faint whining tone, before being interrupted by Ginoza’s sharp retort.

“That’s enough, enforcer. You can wait.” stated Ginoza in an uncompromising tone, before the com channel was suddenly closed.

“…Gino-san?” questioned Kagari swinging his legs down from the wall to sit upright fiddling with his wrist com trying to put through another call to Ginoza, and finding it blocked, before giving up. “…He hung up on me.”

“…Are you really surprised...?” asked Kogami easing away from the wall near the door a bit now that Kagari was no longer taking up the majority of the seat. 

“…What happened to your game?” came Yayoi’s soft voice as she finally inserted herself into the conversation. “Can’t you play with that?” 

Kagari shook his head flinging his arms out at his sides as he flopped back against the wall behind him with a dramatic sigh. “…The battery is almost dead,… it won’t stay on long enough to do anything. That’s why I’m bored…”

“I see.” murmured Yayoi her gaze flicking over Kagari briefly. “I suppose you’ll just have to wait until we get back then.”

“Ah, Kuni-chi! …You’re so cruel.” moaned Kagari quickly pulling his legs out of reach as Yayoi aimed a kick at his ankle.

Kogami and Masaoka shot each other a look as Kagari and Yayoi continued talking around them, both understanding and resigned to the fact that, knowing this was Ginoza and how stubborn he could be when dogs were involved, there was nothing to do but wait. 

_…It can’t be helped…_ was Kogami and Masaoka’s mutual thought.

**~~~ 3 ~~~**

_That’s strange…_ thought Kogami frowning as he checked the time on his workstation terminal again before looking toward the inspectors desks at the head of the room, both of which were still empty. In spite of the fact that it was already a quarter of the way through the current shift and both Masaoka and Yayoi had completed their work and returned to their quarters an hour ago, leaving only Kagari and Kogami himself occupying the Division One squad room.

“Hey Ko-chan…” came Kagari’s voice from behind Kogami, where the younger enforcer sat at his desk. “Isn’t Gino-san or Akane-chan supposed to be on shift by now?” 

“…I was just thinking the same thing.” replied Kogami glancing at the time on his computer’s screen once more as he lit a fresh Spinel before continuing. “It’s supposed to be Gino’s shift right now.” 

“Huh… this really is weird then.” mused Kagari spinning around in his chair once before swiveling it to face Kogami. “…Do you think something could have happened to him?”

Before Kogami could reply the sound of footsteps moving quickly down the hallway outside interrupted him. Kogami turned his head toward the glass doors of the squad room, watching as they parted to reveal a breathless Akane, a purse and several shopping bags baring the logos of a number of different clothing stores draped over her arms as she came to a stop in the open doorway. Akane’s slightly disheveled appearance gave the impression that she had sprinted into work, perhaps literally, after suddenly being ordered to show up while out on a shopping trip, judging by the bags she was carrying.

Akane bent forward at the waist to rest her hands on her knees briefly as she spoke. “I’m sorry that there hasn’t been anyone here before. Inspector Ginoza called in sick and asked if I was able to take over his shift today. …But I had already gone out with Yuki and Kaori and was only able to make it back just now.” 

“You didn’t miss much, only a couple of area stress alerts. Division Two was able to handle them though.” said Kogami swiveling his chair to face away from his desk as Akane caught her breath and started across the squad room toward her desk. “So Gino is sick again?”

“Well, he didn’t sound like he was sick really, when I’d asked if there was anything he needed. But Ginoza-san said that as long as I was able to look after things here, that he could take care of what was needed himself.” Akane hesitated for a moment, frowning as she thought for a moment before continuing. “…The connection wasn’t very good where I was, so it was hard to be sure.”

“He did say that he wasn’t going to come into work though?” asked Kogami his brows drawing together in a hint of a frown.

“Yes.” confirmed Akane nodding at Kogami as she continued past him to put her things down on her desk. “He said he was sorry for the inconvenience, especially since it was supposed to be my day off. …But said that there was really no way that he’d be able to make it in to work today.”

“Wait a minute…. So Gino-san really called in sick?” asked Kagari sounding surprised as he straightened from leaning back in his chair, removing his hands from behind his head to sit up and look over at Akane. “…After he refused to a couple weeks ago and just sat around during his shifts, coughing and hacking everywhere. Then he kept turning up the thermostat in here, trying to fry all the rest of us, because he felt cold from the fever?”

Akane gave Kagari a look as she settled into the chair behind her desk. “…That’s not fair Kagari-kun. Ginoza-san only wanted to be sure that everything ran smoothly, and that I didn’t have any troubles taking care of everything alone. …And he did stay home after the first two days to focus on getting better.”

Kagari let out a short burst of laughter. “Yeah… After you caught him sneaking in for his shifts twice and threatened to report him to the medical department, then finally ordered him to stay home.” Kagari said swiping his handheld game off the surface of his desk as he swiveled his chair toward where Akane sat. 

“Uh-… That’s not…!” stammered Akane her cheeks turning pink as Kagari continued laughing. Finally Akane simply huffed at the red-haired enforcer turning her attention instead to turning on her computer and reviewing the tasks that were to be completed that day. “…Anyway I’m sure Ginoza-san will be feeling better soon and be back to work in no time. …I hope that he’ll rest properly though, so he won’t keep getting sick so often.” She stated after Kagari had settled down once more.

A few days later, as Akane had predicted, Ginoza returned to work. 

Akane looked up as the doors to the squad room slid open to admit Ginoza. “Welcome back Inspector Ginoza.” She said greeting him with a sunny smile as her gaze swept over him, noticing that he still seemed rather tired and perhaps a bit paler than usual, in spite of his return to work. “I hope everything is all right now.”

Ginoza hummed softly, glancing briefly at Akane as he took a seat at his desk already beginning to pull up the reports and notices that had come in during the time he had been away. “Yes, it turned out not to be as serious as I had thought. …Still I appreciate your efforts in covering for my absence. I find veterinary clinics to be rather cold and impersonal so I prefer taking care of things myself if possible…” Ginoza was saying as he half-turned to face Akane, before trailing off when he noticed the strange look that she was giving him. 

“...Ginoza-san,…” began Akane hesitantly, a faint frown coming to her features. “…Weren’t you the one who was sick?...”

Ginoza frowned as well, his expression of confusion nearly mirroring Akane’s apart from it’s greater subtlety. “No, I’m perfectly fine… I thought I explained that at the time. …I needed to look after Dime while he was ill…” 

“Ah… Gino-san you weren’t actually sick?!” groaned Kagari throwing his hands up as he looked up from playing his hand held game. “…And I wasted all that time worrying for nothing?!”

“…Were you really even worried though?” asked Yayoi in her usual quiet tone, not bothering to look up from what she was doing as she swatted the red-haired enforcer with a music book to put a stop to his dramatics. 

“…Gino isn’t Dime the name of your-…?” began Kogami when he caught Ginoza’s eye as the other man looked around the room , seemingly in search of a way of regaining mastery of a situation that was beginning to slip out of his control. 

Ginoza’s eyes narrowed, a faint stubborn blush seeming to spring to his cheeks as his attention focused on Kogami. “Was there something you wanted to say Enforcer Kogami?” said Ginoza in a tone that suggested that it would be better if Kogami remained silent.

“Good.” Ginoza said firmly after Kogami had shaken his head. Turning back to his computer Ginoza squared his shoulders, giving off the faint impression that he was suddenly worried about appearing foolish to the others if more were allowed to be said. “The rest of you get back to work! Now is neither the time or the place to get caught up in all these ridiculous distractions.”

Akane still seemed confused as she looked back and forth between the enforcers and Ginoza as she murmured, mostly to herself. “…Isn’t a dime a coin? … At least that’s what it said it was when I looked it up. But I thought that it was just because of a fever …Since it didn’t make any sense to need to take care of a coin…” 

Sighing Kogami shook his head, rolling his eyes as he turned back to his work station while Ginoza continued trying to regain control of the others, mostly Kagari. _…You can’t really think that this couldn’t have been helped?_

**~~~ 4 ~~~**

_…There was no doubt about it. The office is overrun by dogs…_ thought Kogami as he stood in the open doorway of Division One’s squad room. He had just arrived for his shift, and come to a sudden stop upon catching sight of the scene that lay beyond the doors of the room that usually contained nothing more than desks and computer terminals. Apart from whoever was currently on duty, of course. The current situation though was something entirely outside of Kogami’s experience.

No fewer than twenty dogs of varying breeds and sizes were roaming around the squad room, and that was not including the contents of a small dog bed, placed against the back wall between Ginoza and Akane’s desks, in which was clustered a handful of puppies. 

“Kogami,… How long are you going to stand there? You’re keeping the doors open.” 

Ginoza’s voice broke into Kogami’s thoughts, causing him to turn his attention toward his where his superior sat with a bit of surprise as Kogami stepped far enough into the room to allow the doors to slide closed behind him. Under similar circumstances on a normal day, Ginoza’s tone would have been sharp or coldly dismissive, perhaps to the point of harshness. This time however Ginoza’s voice, while still firm, seemed to lack a majority of the annoyance that it would have usually carried. 

Kogami stepped further into the room, allowing the doors to slip closed behind him, as he kept a mildly wary eye on the few dogs closest to him that had turned their attention to him when he entered. 

“…Why are there a bunch of dogs in here?” asked Kogami finally, deciding that seemed like the most logical place to begin, considering the strangeness of being confronted with the current fur-covered horde that was invading the squad room on what should have been a normal, somewhat boring day.

“There was a minor incident earlier, before your shift began, and a portion of the only animal shelter in the city was rendered temporarily unusable. Division Two handled the situation, but since it will take some time for other arrangements to be made for the dogs from the shelter, I volunteered Division One to look after them in the meantime.” explained Ginoza shrugging a bit as he continued speaking after a moment, tapping inattentively at his keyboard. “It should only be for a short while, until tomorrow… or perhaps the day after at the latest.” 

“And just how are we supposed to work-…” began Kogami rubbing at the back of his neck to ease the tension that was forming there, before his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden frantic scrabbling of toenails approaching rapidly from behind him. Flinching out of the way Kogami managed to turn slightly, just in time to see a dark furred shape bolt past him at knee height, making a bee line for Kagari’s desk.

“Kagari!” Ginoza commanded in the same firm, unusually calm voice, his gaze flicking away from Kogami to where their youngest enforcer was receiving a tennis ball from an enthusiastic Labrador. “Watch where you’re throwing that,… Don’t think you won’t be held responsible for any equipment you damage.”

“Sure thing Gino-san.” replied Kagari with enthusiasm that nearly matched the dog’s, spinning around in his chair before tossing the ball away over the tops of the unoccupied desks, sending the Labrador scrambling after it once more.

 _Perhaps…_ thought Kogami seating himself at his desk once Ginoza turned his attention back to whatever was on his workstation’s screen, in what appeared to be an unspoken dismissal. _…The change in tone has something to do with-…_

Kogami allowed the thought to trail off as he turned to look back toward Ginoza’s desk watching both his senior inspector and the Irish setter who was sitting next to Ginoza with its head and front paws resting on his thigh as Ginoza continued typing whatever he was currently working on, one hand dropping down every so often to give the contented looking dog a pat.

Letting out a breath as he turned away, reaching out to activate his workstation Kogami decided that it was probably useless to say anything more and that they would all simply have to make the best of the situation for the time being.

 

The next day when Kogami arrived at Division One’s squad room for his shift, he found that not only were the dogs still in possession of the squad room, an additional dog had been added to the transitory pack. He watched as a large brown and white husky, which he recognized as being Ginoza’s own dog Dime, lunged playfully toward the Irish setter before both dogs darted away making a circuit of the room then disappearing under Ginoza’s desk. 

“They’re still here…” Kogami finally stated, in a half heard mutter under his breath, after having stared at the scene for a few minutes. “…Gino, correct me if I’m miscounting but… there’s one more dog here than there was yesterday…” observed Kogami lifting his eyes from where the dogs had vanished from view, to study Ginoza. 

Ginoza had looked up, his expression momentarily startled, when both dogs had darted under his desk. Now as Kogami spoke, Ginoza’s eyes narrowed as he focused his attention on Kogami. “…And your point, Enforcer Kogami…?” 

“Wasn’t there enough of them already without bring another one in?” asked Kogami glancing away long enough to keep an eye on the dogs that were closest to where he stood before looking back to Ginoza.

“Is there some sort of problem with that?” It may have been an effect of the lighting in the squad room, but it looked as if a faint hint of pink had risen in Ginoza’s cheeks, even as his eyes had taken on a touch of steel.

Sensing that treading with a bit more caution than he had begun with was in order Kogami shook his head slowly. “…No,… It just seems like a funny time and place to set up what looks like a play date.”

Raising his chin fractionally Ginoza looked at Kogami over the tops of his glasses, still not quite meeting Kogami’s eyes as Ginoza’s fingers stilled on his keyboard. “…Socialization is an important part of having a well behaved and well-rounded dog. …Not to mention that the presence of and interaction with animals has been shown to have a positive effect on an individual’s psycho-pass,… and since these dogs will be here until later this afternoon it seemed like an opportunity that would prove beneficial for everyone involved.”

“Really, Gino?” muttered Kogami staring for a moment longer at his superior and the pair of dogs that lay at his feet, their wagging tails just visible past the edge of Ginoza’s desk, before glancing over at Masaoka as if hoping for someone to share his feelings at the continued invasion of the office and Ginoza’s lack of concern on the subject. 

Instead the older man simply shrugged, his eyes moving to linger on Ginoza and the almost contented expression on the normally grumpy inspector’s face, before glancing down at the aging basset hound that had settled down to sleep tucked half-under his own desk. 

Kogami’s eyes moved around the squad room taking in the sight of Yayoi and Kagari, who had also seemed to find dogs of their own to temporarily adopt, and Akane who seemed intently focused on cuddling one of the puppies from the litter in the dog bed, looking as if she were attempting to keep from being caught in the middle. Kogami let out a breath that was nearly a sigh as he looked back at Ginoza who was more or less the cause of it all.  
_You really can’t help yourself when it comes to dogs, can you?_ thought Kogami as he pulled out the chair at his desk and dropped down into it in defeat, reaching for the closest pack of Spinels.

 

**~~~ +1 ~~~**

 

“Shepherd Two here. We have the suspect pinned down, and are ready to move in. There are a few blind alleys that he may be able to find an alternate way out of but I think we have him trapped.” came Mika’s voice over the open communications channel as Ginoza, Akane, and Yayoi jogged through an alley way toward what Mika’s team had reported was the current location of the suspect they were pursuing.

“Acknowledged Shepherd Two.” replied Akane giving a short nod of satisfaction as she glanced over to make sure that Ginoza and Yayoi hadn’t been separated from her over the course of the foot chase through the back alleyways. “Keep him there if you can. …We’ll circle around now and meet up with you.” 

With a soft hmph of displeasure at Akane’s insistence that they wait for her arrival, as if she felt her junior inspector was incapable of handling the arrest on her own, Mika shifted her attention to Sugo and Hinakawa signaling them to proceed forward and close in on the suspect. “All right. Move in quickly and surround him,… Inspector Tsunemori ordered that we keep him here until her team is able to reach us.”

Sugo and Hinakawa both nodded wordlessly, stepping forward in unison as their eyes scanned the area around them, keeping an eye out for any additional threats beyond the suspect they were currently attempting to capture. As they turned the corner of a building they caught sight of the man in question, just as he too laid eyes on the pair of enforcers.

“MWPSB! Surrender yourself!” called out Mika raising her dominator as the suspect turned and began to flee once more, quickly turning around the corner of a building and moving out of sight as Sugo and Hinakawa moved to give chase, followed by Mika, as they rounded the corner themselves a minute later.

“I-inspector,… he’s g-getting away.” called Hinakawa as the suspect managed to pry open one of the doors of the abandoned buildings that lined the street enough to slip inside.

Slamming his shoulder into the door once he reached it, Sugo broke through just in time for the trio to see that the suspect had crossed the room and escaped out a broken window and was now running down the alley beyond it heading toward what looked like a dead end that was blocked by a holographic barrier.

“It looks like there’s an abandoned worksite ahead!” called Sugo as he crossed the room, and leaned out the window. “He’s headed toward it!”

At Mika’s command Sugo and Hinakawa continued pursuing the escaping suspect, entering the alley just as the man had located a damaged portion of the fence that was concealed behind the holograph and was attempting to squeeze through it. 

“Stop!” ordered Mika beginning to sound a touch breathless as she caught up with Sugo and Hinakawa and reached back to pull her dominator from its holster once again.

The fleeing suspect glanced back over his shoulder for a moment, fear crossing his face as he realized that he hadn’t managed to escape his captors after all, before redoubling his efforts at escape finally managing to force his way through the fence. A moment later a shout and sudden racket of barking and claws scrabbling across various surfaces cut through the air.

“What is that? Do you see the suspect?!” shouted Mika raising her weapon defensively as she followed in Sugo and Hinakawa’s wake after a moment to climb atop some of the equipment and rubble in order to see over the holographic barrier that lined the fence. 

Sugo’s eyes swept over what he could see of the enclosed area for a moment before Hinakawa called out, pointing as the man they had been pursuing emerged from behind a partial structure, being chased and leapt at by a group of dogs who seemed intent on taking down the one who had invaded their territory. 

Mika’s brows drew together in a frown and she glanced over at Sugo and Hinakawa. “Can we take him down with the dominators from here?” she asked while aiming her dominator, and receiving the answer to her question a moment later. 

“Crime coefficient over one hundred, safety will be released. Enforcement mode is non-lethal paralyzer. Please aim carefully-...” Droned the voice of the Sybil System as its targeting lock found purchase for a moment on the suspect, before the man went down under the combined weight of several dogs that pounced on him. “…Target lost.” reported the dominator with a soft chirp, drawing an annoyed sound from Mika as her eyes narrowed. 

“I don’t think so.” said Sugo looking over at Mika as he lowered his dominator.

“Well then both of you, get in there and get close enough to get a lock on him.” ordered Mika motioning at Sugo and Hinakawa.

The sound of their voices drew the attention of the dogs closest to the fence away from the suspect, and several of them broke free from the fringes of the pack to lunge against the interlocked metal of the barrier. The dogs barked ferociously as their teeth snapped at the links, eagerly trying to get at Mika, Sugo and Hinakawa, causing the trio to back away as much as they could where they were perched. Hinakawa looked particularly nervous as he eyed the still barking dogs, while Sugo glanced around searching for another, still accessible entrance as he kept his dominator trained on the criminal on the other side of the fence.

“Inspector, I don’t see another way in.” reported Sugo after a moment, having lowered his Dominator once it became clear that it was currently impossible to get a clean reading on the suspect as things stood currently. Both Sugo and Hinakawa turned to look over at Mika for further instructions.

Raising her weapon once more, Mika huffed in annoyance as she made another failed attempt to lock onto the target long enough for the dominator to get a clear reading. Glancing at where Sugo and Hinakawa stood nearby out of the corner of her eye Mika issued a new order. “…We don’t have any choice then, those animals keep getting in the way. There are too many of them for the dominator to get a reading on the suspect. …And we can’t get any closer than this with them in there. …Shoot the dogs.”

Sugo and Hinakawa hesitated for a moment, glancing at each other before reluctantly raising their dominators and taking aim. Ginoza broke stride for an instant his eyes widening as he drew a sharp breath in response to hearing Mika’s command as he, Akane, and Yayoi drew within sight of where Mika’s team had trapped the suspect.

“No, wait!” shouted Ginoza as he rushed forward to scale the fence. He climbed over the top of it and dropped out of sight behind the holographic layer that blocked a portion of the interior from view to land inside the dogs’ pen, ignoring Mika’s repeated orders, and the voices of the others calling him back. Ginoza’s action was accompanied by the sounds of a cacophony of barking, which only grew louder in response to the second intruder, drowning out anything else that Ginoza might have said after landing on the other side. After a moment the commotion abruptly stopped, the sudden silence punctuated by the sound of a Dominator firing. 

Less than a minute later the gate drifted open a few inches with a soft creak, and Akane nodded motioning for Sugo, Hinakawa and Yayoi to proceed inside with their dominators at the ready until they had ascertained that it was in fact safe.

As the gate was opened fully to reveal the scene beyond it Hinakawa’s eyes were wide with surprise as he slowly lowered his dominator looking back and forth between Ginoza, who stood in the middle of a horde of dogs with the criminal unconscious at his feet, and the dogs themselves, which all lay around Ginoza looking up at him with tails wagging, except for a smaller dog that was still intently focused on ripping up the criminal’s pant leg. 

Even Mika looked suitably impressed for a moment before she realized it, and shifted her expression to one of skeptical disapproval as she folded her arms across her chest looking as if she were trying to summon up some sort of lecture to issue.

As Akane and the others started to enter the fenced area the dogs’ attention shifted suddenly toward them. Several of the dogs barked loudly or growled low in their throats in response to the intrusion as they got to their feet, causing Akane and the others stop come to a stop when faced by the dogs’ bared teeth. 

A sharp whistle from between Ginoza’s teeth followed by a command for them to stay down, brought the dogs under control once more. After a moment Ginoza glanced over at Akane and the others out of the corner of his eye, motioning to them as he kept the majority of his focus on the dogs. “You can come in now. …They’ll leave you alone.”

Cautiously the others stepped inside the fence eyeing the dogs warily when one or two started to rise from where they lay before being ordered back by Ginoza. When the smaller dog that had been destroying the criminal’s pant leg growled at Sugo and Hinakawa’s approach, it too retreated at a command from Ginoza, abandoning its hold on the clothing. 

“So just what are we supposed to do about all these animals?” asked Mika once the unconscious criminal had been retrieved and secured inside the paddy wagon by Sugo and Hinakawa, with Ginoza remaining inside the fenced area to keep control of the dogs. A short time later while Akane was occupied sending an initial report back to headquarters, the youthful inspector stood just outside the fence gazing at the scene beyond it with a frown. 

“…C-can’t we just leave them here?” asked Hinakawa hesitantly before flinching away and falling silent as Mika turned to give him a look. 

“…We couldn’t possibly find homes for all of them ourselves.” murmured Sugo quietly, his gaze flicking briefly toward where Ginoza crouched in the middle of a handful of the dogs who were nudging at the ponytailed enforcer seeking pats from him. “…Even if they do prove not to be as aggressive as they appeared to be. But for the same reason we can’t allow them to roam free either.”

Mika pursed her lips, her fisted hands propping themselves on her hips as her frowned deepened. “So what exactly should we do then?! …Neither of you are being very helpful right now. …You know if all of you had just followed my orders earlier this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“…But doesn’t that seem a bit extreme Inspector?” murmured Yayoi causing Mika draw up short in her tirade, looking over at the female enforcer with a faint blush.

While the others had been talking, Ginoza had managed to extricate himself from the dog pile, and make his way over to where they were all gathered.

“…Um, I already took the liberty of calling an organization that will come and remove the dogs and see that they find proper homes.” explained Ginoza his expression conveying a faint hint of embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck with his glove covered hand before spreading it at his side in a shrug. 

“You did what?!” Mika’s expression soured instantly as she rounded on Ginoza, frowning. “That was out of line enforcer! It’s not your place to make decisions like that on your own, much less make contact with civilians to do so! …Not to mention that you also acted against my orders earlier, which is why we have to deal with taking care of all these animals now…”

Ginoza’s eyes narrowed fractionally as he looked down at Mika, though he didn’t say anything to counter her reprimand, even if it looked as if he wanted to.

Taking a breath it seemed like Mika was about to continue before she was interrupted by Akane, who raised a hand to signal her junior to silence. “It’s fine.” She said before looking over at Ginoza with a smile that was both warm and knowing. “…It couldn’t be helped. Right, Ginoza-san?”

Ginoza looked startled for a moment then a hint of a smile curved his lips as he nodded in response.

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on Twitter as [ RennarenofAO3, ](https://twitter.com/RennarenofAO3)or on Tumblr, also at [RennarenofAO3.](https://rennarenofao3.tumblr.com/)


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